By A Chance Occurrence, 'Casual' Spawned A 'casualty' Of The Dark Side

WORD WATCH

May 22, 2009|By ROB KYFF; Special to The Courant

Today we examine two pairs of words that were separated at birth. These words originally meant the same thing but have since gone their separate ways and now won't even speak to each other at family reunions.

*Casual/casualty - There's nothing "casual" (informal) about a "casualty" (victim of an accident or war). But despite this stark difference in the current meanings of "casual" and "casualty," both words ultimately derive from the Latin noun "casus," meaning "a fall, chance or occurrence."

The adjective "casual," which entered English during the 1300s, originally meant "occurring by chance, accidental." So when a noun form of "casual" - "casualty" - evolved during the 1400s, it meant "a chance occurrence, accident."

That's the meaning Samuel Johnson had in mind when he wrote in 1777 of a "happy casualty," that is, a lucky accident.

But, like a wayward brother, "casualty" soon went over to the dark side and became a very unhappy "casualty." Because many events that happen by chance are unfortunate, "casualty" came to become associated exclusively with unlucky accidents and eventually with the victims of such misfortunes, as in "battlefield casualties."

Meanwhile, the "good" brother, "casual," continued on his happy way, playing golf and acquiring sunny new meanings such as "informal" ("casual clothing"), "nonchalant" ("casual observer") or "temporary" ("casual water" on a golf course).

That's why, to this day, you almost never see the brothers together. There's no such thing as a "casual casualty."

*Veteran/veterinarian - Despite their very different meanings today, these two words are old friends. Literally. Both are derived from Latin word "vetus," meaning, "old."

One noun form of "vetus" was "veteranus," meaning "an old man," and this old man, he played one, he played knick-knack in Latin until he became "veteran" in English, meaning "an experienced person," especially "an experienced soldier."

Another form of "vetus" in Latin was "veterinae, "meaning old cattle and horses." Just as members of the aging Woodstock generation are starting to feel their aches and pains, the elderly members of the Livestock generation often needed medical attention.

So the people who treated these "veterinae" ("Does it hurt more before you pull the plow or after you pull it?") came to be known themselves as "veterinae," which became "veterinarian" in English.

*Rob Kyff is a teacher and writer in West Hartford. Write to him by e-mail at WordGuy@aol.com